route_1065 | yet those hands will never hold anything; (CLOSED)

Entry tags:

saber | fate/stay night

yet those hands will never hold anything; (CLOSED)

WHO: Archer

cashcow (Lancers can tag in too if they want!)
WHERE: Goldenrod City; Breeding Centre
WHEN: August 13th; Sunset
SUMMARY: Archer's journey to Goldenrod City is at an end, but who is he waiting for?
RATING: PG (will update if necessary!)
LOG:

One day he was arguing with a certain Empress over the details of how he would cook the next batch of rice...and the next he was left to reside in the data banks of the SE.RA.PH; though at times he couldn't even tell where he was at all. Was he back at Hakuno's side? Was she safe in his absence? Just how much did he trust in that when he was gone, time had practically stopped? None of those questions had a true answer to them as the red-coated Servant found himself back in New Bark Town yet again. As if he was on a whole new journey. But he remembered all of it... Without so much as a true word to his 'mom', he was out the door.

For a day he stayed within the confines of the 'beginning', as it were. It took him some time to decide on what he wanted to do, as to why he had come back here to the world of Pokemon, and ultimately...where he was supposed to go. It wasn't until a familiar pink blob of a friend had crossed his path that he found some form of meaning again. A reason. It was a reminder that he wasn't alone; and it only served to make him wonder... Was there anyone else here? Who could he come back to? When the fighting was finished, what was that place where he would meet someone?

It wasn't here. It could never exist here; after all, he was but a piece of digital information given purpose in an equally digital battlefield. He was a nameless hero, a Servant who guided his Master to victory. And yet...there was a place he wanted to go.

And so, with Ditto back by his side, Archer returned to his quest to become a Pokemon Master. But his journey wouldn't start at New Bark Town. No; his journey would begin closer to 'home'; at least, as close to a home as he could afford to call it.

--

It was a long road, with a good few battles along the way to get back into the swing of things, but Archer continued forth as if he never missed a beat. He had noticed that his Ditto seemed to be weaker than before... But perhaps it was to be expected. He had been gone for some time; so it was only natural they needed to catch up. For days they ran, taking all the familiar routes; he'd remembered briefly travelling with a fellow Servant in the beginning before crossing paths with Nero and Hakuno... All those memories rushed back to him with every landmark he passed that bared a resemblance. At the end of it all though, it lead him back to the largest city in Johto.

"Goldenrod City... I either haven't been gone for too long or this place doesn't like to change," said to nobody (except perhaps his Ditto in the Poke Ball), a nostalgic smirk crossed his face as he walked down the street. At times it was still strange to walk amongst everyone else like any normal human being, being a Heroic Spirit for so long removed from time, yet it still came naturally to him. The closer he came to his destination however, the more the thought occurred to him that this all may have been for nothing. Did a part of him want to surprise the residents of the Breeding Centre if they were here? Is that why he didn't choose to transmit anything over the network? Or perhaps he would have chosen to slip away quietly if he truly was the only one left here, to partake in getting stronger and fully embracing the path of a trainer that he'd avoided for a while the last time... It was difficult at times to get into the mind of what Archer was thinking.

Though...perhaps that there was someone that he wanted to see, not wanting to bother settling for words via long distance.

By the time he'd reached the Breeding Centre, he was at the front door, looking up at the complex as if he were returning home. Save for the sounds of the Pokemon around the area left in their care, it felt as if he was the only one. A feeling deep down that when he knocked on the door, the one that would answer him wouldn't be the same. Though he had to ask himself... Was that Scyther of his still here? Did Lancer do a backflip for joy when he disappeared?

After a moment's contemplation and a hint of a jaded smile on his lips, the man clad in red raised his hand, about ready to knock.

Was there anyone home?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Archer?"

The voice isn't softened by wood or distance. In fact, it seems to be coming from behind him instead of in front where the door rests. There she stands with the door still shut and keys in her hand (complete with a custom lion charm hanging off of them). There's a big bag tucked under her arm that threatens to cause her to topple over at any moment and a hat on her head to indicate she's been out for a while.

"When did..." Cutting herself off, she answers the question herself. If he returned, he must have returned to New Bark Town, right? Though there was another who arrived in Goldenrod City herself. "Did you arrive here?"

Of course, he had yet to consider the option of Saber having not arrived just yet. Catching her while she was out... A part of him wasn't expecting her to be here. Whether that meant in this world or home...well, none of it mattered anymore. If there was any sign of surprise from the bowman, it was long gone by the time he turned around. There was also the problem in that there was no way of telling at first if he was an Archer to be threatened by, an ally, or... "I think I made record time getting here," ...someone she knew. With his arms folded, he didn't show it, but it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders at the sight of the King of Knights.

All that he needed now was to find Hakuno and perhaps that red Saber (of which he'd grown to respect over his time travelling with her). But here and now, this was enough. He was still dressed the same as he was when he participated in the Holy Grail War, casual wear most likely to come soon after. But that smile of his told a different story. It said that he was glad to see her. Not that he was about to say it so upfront. "I'm not in your way, am I, Saber?"

"No, not at all."

Talking is about the most she can manage as she holds out her keys for him. He must be in the way seeing as he's between her and the door, so she offers them to him to use. Besides, if she tried now, she may just end up dropping them and making herself out to be a fool before him.

Archer's returned here. Did that mean someone else may as well? She hasn't had a chance to withdraw the PokeGear, to check every registered name in hopes of a familiar number, and she won't so long as she has a guest to entertain.

"Did you come to pick up a new Pokemon companion? We have a number of them at the Foster Home and Breeding Centre." Business. Smooth.

Blinking only a couple of times when she holds the keys for him, he eventually accepts them before turning to open the door. The way they talked, it was like he never left to begin with. Though perhaps it just didn't need to be said in the first place. Well, some things didn't need to be said, at least. Letting the door slowly open, he turned around to face Saber once more, if only to finish his thought to her words. There was a time for business, and he knew he'd have to make some decisions soon if he planned on getting back on track with his team. But for now, there was something on his mind. He may have had his own nonchalant way of saying it, but the feeling behind those words was true.

"I came to find--"

"Scyyyther..."

"..."

There was something behind him, wasn't there? Waiting at the front door that he just opened.

"Your Pokemon?"

Saber makes an attempt to finish his question by reminding him of the terror he left behind. Fortunately, Scyther wasn't too upset at the color--at least, he should be used to it. Saber wore it for weeks until she had no clothing left with holes, so maybe he's been a bit desensitized to it.

"They are here--at least some of them. I would not know where the others go off... to..."

Was Scyther moving in for an attack? Saber's hand is going to the side of her waist where her Pokeballs are kept just in case.

Seeing the overdose of red that was Archer before him, though desensitized, it also served to push him at times. It was impulse really! And Archer had it coming; he should have known after the initial fiasco that involved ketchup and ripped sheets. Which was exactly why it was indeed moving in for an attack. One of its scythe-arms were raised to slash down. Unfortunately it didn't really do any genuine crippling here. Rather then turn around in a panic, however, Archer met him eye to eye before the Pokemon could bring the blade down. It was time to see how far Saber had come with training his Scyther while he was gone.

"Scyther."

It looked like the beginning of a brutal horror scene, but rather only moments before the Pokemon's blade came down...it stopped. The look of sheer spite over the colour was apparent on the bug type's face as it gritted its teeth, wanting to strike at the red. But then it was met with Archer's own determined gaze. Did it remember him? They didn't have too much time together, and yet... "Scy..."

"You have gotten better." It couldn't attack its own trainer now. It would take some time, but the level of respect between them would need to be rebuilt. For now though, it seemed they could meet one another with a mutual agreement to cause less trouble. Nodding in approval at his bug teammate, Archer looked back yet again to Saber. "You must have done some serious work to change him like that--"

"SCYTHER!!"

Looking away was a bad move. It may not have wanted to hit Archer because he was its trainer, but it could attack Archer for LEAVING IT SO SUDDENLY! Before he had the chance to react, the Scyther had already clubbed him hard on the back of the head with the blunt side of its scythe arm. That was going to bruise for a while. But more than anything, the bowman couldn't quite see straight after that for a moment or so, bending forward in front of Saber and unintentionally bowing in the process from the force of the hit.

"Ggh--ugh..."

The scene was a pleasant one to watch up until it ended. Pokemon reuniting with trainer was always beautiful to see and now that they were together, perhaps that's one less burden weighing down on her lithe shoulders. Saber's changed, but not too much to be noticeable. While she hasn't grown an inch, other parts of her are inching along which she now attempts to hide by holding the bag in front of her as though it were a shield.

"Scyther!" Wait, why was it reminding her of something else? "Rin?"

It would be a move Rin would make if he stopped looking at her to stare at someone else...

Though Archer hadn't quite had the time to say it yet, Archer planned on playing his part and making up for the time lost. Whatever burdens he could wind up taking away from Saber, he'd try. Though there was only so much that he could do or was willing to do. There was still many things that she needed to take care of herself. For now though, he'd get settled back into his life as a trainer, until the day came he found a way back to fighting for his Master. Seeing Saber hug the bag in front of her as she did, he would have questioned it some if it weren't for the fact he was nursing a bump on the back of his head from Scyther's brutal chop.

"Maybe I deserved that one... Ow." Sighing some in mock-defeat, Archer didn't bother turning back to his Pokemon just yet, knowing his own Pokeballs wouldn't be any good for catching him. After all, she must have still had his ball somewhere. For the time being, Scyther seemed to huff and walk back inside, leaving the two at the door for a moment.

"I'd say it's an improvement."

"You know she would reprimand you for that."

Saber reminds him of things he may have no memory of. Still, he was fond of her in a way or so she suspects. He must fancy her if he keeps returning after all. Having met his gaze while he knelt before her, the scene reminded her of something years ago. Of men all much larger than her on their knees as she judged them or brought a blade to their shoulder to promote them.

Strange to think of this man as a knight when he's made the Fifth Holy Grail War problematic for her in more ways than one.

"Come on, we ought to fetch some ice for your head."

Uncertain about how to answer her for the time being, he opted to leave it be as Archer got back to his feet. Moments such as this were a blur, but looking up to Saber previously, the sunset was briefly replaced by the cool light of the moon illuminating her body, adorned in brilliant silver armour as she stared at him with a cool and steeled gaze. "I ask of you..."

No. That was all he had. There was nothing else anymore but the new memories he made. What was done was done; funny how he'd told someone else that and yet...

"I should be fine, Saber. But since we're heading in anyways..." Archer steps aside, allowing the blonde knight to lead the way to her own home now that the door was open.

"You may boast proudly all you like, but since you were harmed on the premises, it is now my responsibility to ensure you receive proper medical treatment."

Practically rehearsed, she waits for him to follow.

"Would you really deny my hospitality when I offer it to you so freely without questioning where you have been? Well, I suppose manners were never your strong suit."

Amusingly enough, this is the most she's spoken in a while. Normally she might shy away from conversation, but having Archer here opens her up in a way familiar to her.

The last he had any semblance of recalling the way she talked, it was a lot more stern... And yet despite the rehearsed line she fed him about being treated, it seemed so...casual at the same time. Unable to describe it just yet, but there definitely was a change in Saber thanks to being here. He had to wonder, since he didn't quite think to ask something so personal, if she preferred it here. Was this an escape for her after all the hardships she endured? Did he deserve to be here after having dealt so many death and suffering in his line of work? He was a hero without a name, and yet...this was his reward.

...being a Pokemon trainer, that is. Her jab at his mannerisms caused a rogue smirk to lift the corner of his mouth as he followed behind the King of Knights, shutting the door behind him while at the same time fiddling with his red overcoat in a bid to try and take it off. The less aggravated his Scyther was, the better. Besides, while he had kept himself clean on his travels, his coat could use a wash. Eventually he had it folded neatly in his arms, leaving him clad in just the black armoured suit and pants beneath, his Ditto's ball on his belt loop. "Hoh? As if you know me like the back of your hand, is it? Still, I'd be a fool to say no to free treatment."

"Perhaps being a fool is what brought you back here, Archer."

It takes all of her self-restraint to resist laughing at him for that. Shirou has always been foolish in her mind, but that's part of what made him so unique. A jester in the court that was her life and here he has returned with a new mask on.

"It has been months since you were last in this world. You, among several others, took your leave. I know it because the PokeGear removed your number unless, ah, you have figured out a way to make yourself disappear without disappearing? If that were so, your Pokemon would have joined you. Fear not, the babe is still just a babe or were you here only when he was still within his shell?"

"So I see," he retorted. "Though fools are known to get lost. But I found my way back."

Had Saber taken to laughing at her words, he still wouldn't have known what to make of it. But regardless of how the situation turned...it was all pleasant. It was a change of pace. Again, it was a life that seemed to be well-deserved. At least, some would say as much. Giving his old Scyther a chancing glance (whom he had yet to realize had been called Lancer to complete the cycle), Archer followed Saber to the kitchen for the ice. He wouldn't show it so easily, but Scyther really did a number on him. Again, as he said so himself, it wasn't undeserved.

"So it has been a while," he mused as he crossed his arms in thought. Several others, she said... No doubt that meant that either the other Saber was off on a journey or he had yet to check his PokéGear. While he had no current committment to those that may have been familiar with him here, he may as well have checked later for any one who might have deemed him hostile. But that could wait, his gaze rising to match the walking form of Saber in front of him as they talked.

"No. I'm positive that I disappeared."

"But... What happened afterwards until I came back here is hazy at best. If I've really been gone for that long, no time seemed to pass when I came back to the Moon Cell." Which meant that he and Hakuno still had just emerged from their victory over Gawain, with Rin supporting them. "Ditto was the only one I found with me...though he doesn't seem quite as strong since I last had him."

To her inquiry about his baby Pokémon, the white-haired Servant had to muse over that for a moment. So it hatched...

"The Pokémon I received hatched then?"

That would answer her question at least.

"That is correct."

The dragon-type Pokemon are all currently balled up as Saber's left them on their own one too many times. Now she knows better and acts accordingly.

"Hm, from what you are saying, you had nothing to return to? Is that what the Throne of Heroes is?" Saber's never been and this is as close as she'll ever get to confessing that. "Or was it something else? Not being able to continue on living... ah, that must have been a horrible fate."

One she's familiar enough with. Prior to her arrival here, she knew that a hill covered in blood was all that would wait for her.

Just as it would be the only thing waiting for her when she leaves. Opening up the top half of the fridge, she withdraws a pack of mixed vegetables and holds it out towards him.

"This will do just fine, will it not?"

Well it seemed that he had an additional ally to call his own. Come to think of it, hadn't Saber requested that she offer him another Pokemon some time? It was around the holiday season and they had just went to clean up Scyther's mess after first being revealed. By this point, starting off with a team of three didn't seem like such a bad idea. When Saber makes mention of the Throne of Heroes, Archer goes silent as he contemplates his former whereabouts. His existence was a peculiar one at that, similar to what the King of Knight's fate would have been had she fulfilled her duty to obtain the Holy Grail. Ultimately, however, he never wanted her to fall to the same fate that he did.

The price was too much to pay for losing your own will rather then properly passing on as a hero in memory. All the lives he 'saved'... It was yet another reason why her not receiving the Holy Grail was a blessing in disguise. She didn't have to share in his duties, be it his servitude to the Moon Cell or for the planet... "I couldn't tell you. I think it has to do with this place, but it felt different from when I was simply data waiting to take form and be summoned."

But this topic was a potentially depressing one. Seeing the mixed pack of vegetables, he simply nodded with a smirk as he accepted the frozen bag, placing it against the bump that his Scyther had made.

"A cure for my bump and what's for dinner. You know how to think ahead, Saber." It was a mild teasing joke at best.

"A head sure." There's enough of a pause to indicate she was trying to make a pun off of his words.

See, even she can express a sense of humor every now and again though her own is hardly what one might call entertaining. At least it was enough to elicit a giggle from her own throat which she quickly covers up with her hands over her mouth.

"My apologies... you were speaking of this place? You did not return home, yet you remained here? Is that not abnormal?"

There was a pause from the both of them. From Archer's point of view, it was to try and wrap his head around the fact that Saber had attended to make a pun. The humor was dry, but coming from her, even as she attempted to hide her giggle, it was a surprise. Not an unpleasant one of course. All he could do in response was sigh and calmly shake his head. Truly it was like he was asking "What am I going to do with you?" By now the cold bag of veggies was working its magic. No doubt he'd feel the bruising later or whenever he showered and ran his hands through his hair. That lump wouldn't go anywhere soon.

It was a good thing that he had his ways of covering up. Namely his hair being spiky as it was. Leaning back against the counter beside her, he contemplated her question. He thought he'd explained as best as he could, but even the red Servant knew that even he couldn't make much more sense of it all. "No... I'm sure that I left. If you said I've been gone all this time and I don't remember anything. Perhaps I would have fully returned home if I wasn't...hm..." If he wasn't coming back here, that is.

"I don't think I'll be able to solve this one any time soon. For now I'll just focus on here."

That and perhaps the rumor of defeating the Elite Four and becoming a champion meaning he could return to the Moon Cell and Hakuno. But he had a long ways to go for that to happen.

"Here..."

That seems to alleviate her worries and leave her only with a smile. The thought of having Archer near cheered her up. If he chose to stay near her, then she ought to be able to move on from this place.

"You may stay here until you are ready to travel. When you decide that you want to take on the gym leaders..." Taking in a deep breath as though to mentally steel herself, she continues. "Then I would like it very much if I could travel with you!"

As far as he could tell, there was no one here that he knew as well as he did Saber. With Nero gone, Hakuno having only been here momentarily, and the rest of the Servants and Masters here from separate wars, the distant King was the closest to an ally and friend he had. Granted it could have been easy enough to start up a companionship with someone else. But sometimes it was easier when you had a 'constant' of sorts. To that end, he couldn't have expected Saber to have proposed to him what she just did.

Although Lancer could look after this place, he supposed. And it wasn't like it would be hard to come back if something serious came up.

"I see. You know, Saber, if we were still at war, only a fool would turn down an offer to team with the strongest class." What started as a jaded little smirk... "But since that's no longer the case," ...turned into a warmer smile. She didn't think that he'd turn her down, would he? "Go right ahead. I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to."

She thought instantly that he was going to turn her down. Her mouth etches downward into a frown as she lets apprehension take over her mind and that combined with the guilt she constantly felt left her feeling as though she wasn't good enough for an Emiya.

If he were to turn her down here, wouldn't Shirou at some point in his future do the same?

"Pardon?" Somehow his smirk becomes a smile and she's standing there confused more than ever. "You could stop me--just look at your size compared to me. You could lift me by the back of my shirt and I would be unable to stop you!"

Such was the Archer way; what with confusing others and all despite being honest. He did have to admit though, Saber's answer was an amusing one at that. But it seemed that if he was going to make any headway with the King of Knights, he had to maybe drop his guard just a little more. Her response, however, did earn a laugh out of him, brief though it may have been. "You could always kick me. You can't be that helpless... But if I had to be more blunt," which he needed to, it seemed. "I don't want to stop you. When I go, you can join me."

"Really?"

Not that she was willing to admit to being helpless entirely (she would have threatened him in some other manner had he not mentioned kicking), but he did just reaffirm that she was permitted to go with him.

The thought of leaving the Breeding Centre left her more worked up than she may have cared to disclose, but it wasn't that bad at his side.

"Well, of course. Someone has to keep your manners in check."

"Hoh?" An amused smirk crossed his lips at her last remark. Truth be told, travelling with Saber would make for a more settling journey. Although with the red Empress, he couldn't exactly consider his adventure through Johto a boring one at least. While being with Saber wouldn't be boring persay, it would just be more...lax.

Something that he felt he admittedly could benefit from this time.

"You think you can keep me in check, Saber? We Archers have a tendency to act of our own accord," judging by the fact his smirk lightened up some, he was merely teasing back. ...it did prove to be a valuable ability to his class nonetheless though.

That statement alone causes her expression to falter.

It hits home greater than he likely intended it to. On her mind is the same knight in red and the number of times he betrayed those around him. It was as if he was incapable of keeping his loyalties consistent for even a day, no, the only thing on his mind was fulfilling his selfish goal.

"I would hope that I know how to keep you in line now. Raising my blade even if it was futile towards you is an action I shall never regret."

Indeed, the remark had not been to strike as deep to her heart as he had intended. Although even to him, such memories were but a flash in his mind compared to the more concrete imagery he carried with him in the Moon Cell. To be honest but not give out whole truths; he'd done well on that aspect of himself. It shows in Archer's initially surprised expression. It wasn't entirely clear, and yet...he still carried a fragment of that holy sword within his Reality Marble. He did not do battle with this Saber in the latest war, but still there were shards of the past that reminded him of a goal that once bound him to the ideal he represented.

It was foolish to tell her that he was simply teasing her, as it did nothing to invalidate why she had responded the way she did. She had faded after destroying the Grail, unknowing to what the red knight had done in Emiya Shirou's finest hour. What was to be expected of him? An apology? An apology for events long gone and beyond his time? Unlike Saber, he was but a replication of a Heroic Spirit, data that carried on a name that didn't even have a name in his age. It was why he was a nameless hero; Emiya Shirou and Archer had finally become two separate people. He was just a concept now, what humanity wanted to see in a hero and that hero became the man who had created over a thousand blades.

How long as he going to keep telling himself that?

"Than... You should have nothing to fear." He wouldn't apologize to her. All he could do was move on and believe in what the past could accomplish. What the past could continue chasing without any regrets. "It's an odd feeling," he started as he removed the pack of veggies from the bump on his head for now. "Knowing and yet not knowing... To be so far apart and yet so close." Archer had yet to grow fond of discussing his past so easily. It'd taken Hakuno quite some time before she had succeeded in getting him to explain who he was and where he came from. Even if he still had yet to give what that name truly was. But with Saber- with one of his own distant memories, he'd only tell her this once. A once in a lifetime chance to set the record straight, only to bury the past and focus on the present. "Or are you afraid that I will betray you again?"

"What Emiya Shirou decides for himself is his choice and his alone. His path is also his alone to take. If he continues to follow that ridiculous dream of his...with no regrets, than it's of no concern to me."

"You, Saber, are just a memory to me." It was true. It wasn't like he was the same Archer taken from a time in which he'd crossed swords with her in the real world, within Fuyuki or to betray his Master. Was it the data that assembled him that made him remember those pieces of himself? Was he a copy or a successor? One way or another, across time and planes of existence, Archer was still Archer. "Feel free to hold onto the thought I'll one day turn my back on you, if it's something you want to remember. I'm more concerned about now, and helping my Master realize her goal- once I've returned."

She understood him well enough from the words he spoke.

While she may never truly understand the lengths of those words and the thoughts he kept to himself, she did know that in the end, nothing could be redone. History was set in stone and any chance of a miracle coming to undo it was destroyed by the very holy blade she wielded.

Not that it should bother her. This was the path decided for her, the right path, and even if it meant that Britain couldn't have the chance she fought desperately for her country to have, at least they no longer had to think of her. A king in myths, not the lonely girl who tried desperately to keep it all together. Though if she were given the chance to eliminate herself once more and have a man rule in her place?

At some point she may have wanted to be more than a time worn memory to someone. A lover to a man who hadn't been in Johto for well over a year, a close companion to a boy who wanted nothing more than to protect his family and become a hero, and a champion to the lady who deserved a longer life than she had been given. Those were all things Saber found herself wanting, but nothing could give it to her. Not even the miracles of this world.

"Of course. You are a Counter Guardian and that is what you do. You act as you must to protect the world and if not that, you act to protect your Master. You have no loyalties to me, nor would I be foolish enough to believe that you do."

Admittedly, that had been Archer's problem- not giving everything that he could when he spoke to someone. When he even told Saber what he just did. Perhaps one of these days, though she knew his story better then even Hakuno did for various reasons, he would sit her down and discuss what he dealt with during the Moon Cell's Holy Grail War. How different he felt he was compared to his original time of being summoned to both aid her and betray her. For Archer, there was but a simple conclusion that if his past self died becoming a hero and carried no regrets in his heart as he did such, he couldn't deny him.

He knew of what Saber had lost, but not of what she was also denied here in the world of Pokémon. Realizing that perhaps his words were a little harsh in calling the King of Knights a mere memory to him. After all, he'd come to see that Shirou was gone now. What did she have left? Who could she hold on to? Unlike Saber, however (with the Lancers in tow), Archer didn't have much of anybody else to call upon. His companions were no longer here. And that was why, although based upon a hope that may not have even been there, he travelled to Goldenrod.

Because even though Saber was a memory, it was the only memory that he had left in this world.

"But...be that as it may," with that, he finally offered a little smile. A jaded yet genuine smile. "Counter Guardians, The Holy Grail, Servants and Masters... What good is it all here?" Shaking his head some, he re-applied the bag of frozen veggies to his bump again. "Maybe I should have rephrased that. For the battle I'm in back in the Moon Cell, you're a memory. But here, well..."

"Saying that things are different here would be an understatement."

The remark didn't warrant a response.

While she ought to have given him one in return, instead she bestowed the rare gift of her silence. Alright, so it wasn't all that rare in the first place, but the traces of a smile as subtle as it may be were present on her face.

Things are different here.

It saved her the trouble of having to remind him of that when he spoke it out loud himself. Instead, she'll withdraw another frozen package from the freezer and toss it towards him.

Hamburger meat. At least he could have an inkling of what he could do to make up for it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

yet those hands will never hold anything; (CLOSED)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject